Pressure as a Revealing Force

Talking to an old firefighter colleague of mine, on his role at national training, about the effects of pressure. He commented “we have all seen some pretty slick operators make some odd decisions on the fireground”. We went on to reflect on a couple of examples at incidents we had both attended. We concluded that pressure is indiscriminate, we are all vulnerable, irrespective of skill and experience, it’s not incompetence.

I recounted the first time I was placed in charge of the fire station. It was totally unexpected, there was an officers meeting at command HQ, and so for the rest of the morning, several stations would be run by senior firefighters like me. After dropping off our SSO, we returned to station with me riding in charge. I remember sitting in the watch room by myself, desperately trying to think – when we get the next fire call – what do I need to do? When we arrive, what are the arrival codes? What are the SOPs per scenario? How will i deploy the crew and so on. But I was struggling to think, things that I knew I knew, I couldn’t remember. And the more I tried, the worse it got.

The pressure of the situation got to me – this unexpected scenario, the responsibility for the station, the crew, the public, placed upon me without any notice – and when the bells went, I was going to have to perform, there was no other option for me.

Most of the time, most of us, don’t “see” the impact of pressure on us, it affects us without us understanding what is happening, that it is in motion. We think that pressure is external. But really it is our internal response that determines what happens to us under pressure. It is not “out there” in the situation, its “in here” within us.

But we can flip our relationship to pressure. When we have the courage to stand and face it, we discover that we can get through. Pressure then becomes a vehicle for performance. When we shift perspective to see pressure and the discomfort it brings without judgement - as information - pressure becomes a revealing force. If instead we avoid it, we shrink and become small.

If we want to get better at what we do, if we feel that there is more for us, that we have not yet met our potential, then we need to move into places we have not yet been, literally living on the edge of potential. This place is defined by pressure and discomfort.

We can see pressure as the vehicle on which to practice getting better. And each time we hold our nerve and face it, we build our capacity to face more. And then we start to ask ourselves – if pressure is no longer a problem for me, how far can I go?